Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top European leaders are in Washington for make-or-break meetings with President Trump and his team.
Trump, Zelenskyy and EU leaders pose for group photo
President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders posed for a photo before peace talks on Ukraine continued.
WASHINGTON − The last time Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to the White House, things with President Donald Trump went so poorly that the Ukrainian leader was kicked out.
Trump mocked his clothes and Vice President JD Vance called him “disrespectful” in a February Oval Office brawl.
Zelenskyy was again ushered into the the White House on Aug. 18 − this time wearing a black suit − to face a renewed U.S. hard line on peace talks after Trump’s Aug. 15 meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Sitting beside Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, Trump said he believes there’s a “reasonable chance” for an agreement to end the war.
Follow along with USA TODAY for live updates.
Trump says he believes Putin, Zelenskyy both want a deal
Trump told the European leaders during their afternoon huddle in the White House’s East Room that they should know “in a week or two weeks” whether a deal between Russia and Ukraine to end fighting is possible.
“I believe you have two willing parties that want to make a deal, and we’ll journey together, and we’ll go together and see if can be done,” Trump said. “And it’s possible it might not be able to be done. On the other hand, it’s possible it will, and we’ll save thousands and thousands of lives a week.” – Joey Garrison
Trump optimistic about future meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy and European leaders arrive at White House ahead of talks
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy arrived at the White House for talks with President Trump as European leaders await expanded session.
Trump expressed optimism about the possibility of a trilateral meeting with Zelenskyy, himself and Putin taking place at a future time.
“I think it’s going to be when we do, not if,” Trump said, sitting next to Zelenskyy and leaders of European countries. “We’re going to set that up today after this meeting.”
Trump told Zelenskyy, “I think you’ll see that President Putin really would like to do something also.” – Joey Garrison
Zelenskyy calls meeting with Trump ‘really good’
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a “really good” meeting with Trump to discuss “very sensitive points” about ending the war with Russia before meeting with seven other European leaders.
“This is very important that the United States gives such strong signal and is ready for security guarantees” against future potential attacks, Zelenskyy said.
Trump, Zelenskyy eye Ukraine peace, Putin summit possibility
President Donald Trump said there’s a “reasonable chance” to end the war in Ukraine after talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Territorial disputes will be resolved, Zelenskyy added, by leaders during a possible meeting between him, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Trump.
“We had a constructive, specific meeting,” Zelenskyy said. “We are happy that we have such big unity today.” – Bart Jansen
Trump confident agreement will be reached ‘on almost everything’
Trump began his afternoon meeting with European leaders seated in a long rectangular table in the White House East Room.
With Zelenskyy seated across from him, Trump said he believes they will reach a resolution during the meeting “on almost everything” including security assurances with Ukraine.
“I’m optimistic that we collectively reach an agreement to deter any future aggression against Ukraine,” Trump said. “And I actually think that’s even overrated – largely overrated. But we’re going to find out. And I think that the European nations are going to take a lot of the burden.”
Trump reiterated that he doesn’t believe a cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia is necessary to achieve a peace agreement.
“I believe a peace agreement at the end of all this is attainable, and it can be done in the near future,” he said. – Joey Garrison
Trump, Zelenskyy photographed with European leaders
Trump, Zelenskyy and leaders of seven European countries took part in a brief “family photo” spray in the White House Cross Hall.
At one point, Trump pointed to a portrait that he had mounted in the executive mansion depicting his survival of the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania during the 2024 presidential campaign.
“That was not a good day. That was not a great day. See the picture,” Trump said, gesturing toward it with his right hand.
The photo with Trump, Zelenskyy and the other presidents and prime ministers lasted just a couple of minutes. – Joey Garrison
Trump says Putin is ‘expecting my call’
Trump said he will talk to Putin shortly after his Monday meetings with Zelenskyy and European leaders conclude.
During the call, Trump said he will discuss a possible three-way future meeting between himself, Putin, and Zelenskyy to finalize a peace deal.
“We may or may not have a trilat,” Trump said. “If we don’t have a trilat, then fighting continues. And if we do, there’s a good chance of maybe ending it. But he’s expecting my call at the end of this meeting.”
Reporters were escorted outside of the Oval Office after about 25 minutes.
–Joey Garrison
Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs major US security guarantees
Zelenskyy said he needs U.S. assistance to help Ukraine’s army, weapons and intelligence in a peace deal with Russia.
“Everything,” Zelenskyy said when asked what security assistance he needs from the United States to maintain peace.
Trump would not commit to providing “NATO-like” protection to Ukraine. He instead pointed to the desire of European countries to offer protection. “We will help them out with that,” the presient said, without specifying the level of guarantees. “I think it’s very important.” – Joey Garrison
Trump: ‘You don’t need a ceasefire’
Trump said before his meeting Aug. 15 meeting Putin that he wanted a ceasefire and there would be “severe consequences” if the Russian leader didn’t agree to one.
But sitting next to Zelenskyy Aug 18 Trump said “I don’t think you need a ceasefire.”
Trump said he likes the idea of a ceasefire to stop the killing but said a peace deal can be negotiated while the fighting continues.
–Zac Anderson
Zelenskyy says he would hold elections under peace deal
Zelenskyy said he’s open to holding elections in his country under a peace deal.
“Of course, yes,” the Ukrainian leader said in response to a question from a reporter.
Zelenskyy has held off on holding elections amid the war, which started in February of 2022.
The Ukrainian president’s term ended in May 2024.
–Joey Garrison
Trump, Zelenskyy hold White House talks on Ukraine war
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held high-stakes talks at the White House aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump: U.S. will ‘be involved’ in Ukraine peacekeeping
Trump said the U.S. would “be involved” in any peacekeeping effort in Ukraine after the war.
European countries are the “first line of defense” but “we’re going to help them out also,” he said.
Trump administration officials over the weekend floated the idea of providing security guarantees to Ukraine similar to what NATO offers its members. Zelenskyy has focused on getting security guarantees as part of a peace deal.
–Zac Anderson
Trump seeks long-term peace agreement
Trump said any peace deal will be a long-term agreement between Russia and Ukraine, not a short-term truce.
“We’re not talking about a two-year peace and then we end up in this mess again,” Trump said. “We’re going to make sure that everything’s good. We’ll work with Russia. We’re going to work with Ukraine. We’re going to make sure it works.”
Trump later added: “The war is going to end. When it ends? I can’t tell you.”
–Joey Garrison
Zelenskyy thanks for Trump for his efforts
Trump called it an “honor” to have Zelenskyy at the White House as the Oval Office meeting got underway.
Zelenskyy, sitting next to Trump, told the president, “Thank you very much for your efforts.”
During their last meeting in February, Vance criticized Zelenskyy for not thanking the Trump administration.
–Francesca Chambers
Zelenskyy arrives at White House
Trump welcomed a black-clad Zelenskyy to the White House as the Ukrainian president arrived at the West Wing at 1:13 p.m. ET. The two men shook hands.
“We love them,” Trump said when asked for his message to the people of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy was wearing an all-black suit – a noticeable departure from the military garb he wore during the February meeting.
–Joey Garrison
White House serves up lunch – and parlor workspaces
While European leaders wait for Trump and Zelenskyy to finish their Oval Office meeting, they’ll have a buffet lunch in the State Dining Room.
Each leader will have a private holding room at the White House. With so many leaders visiting, the White House is having to repurpose sitting parlors that are not typically used as offices such as the Red Room and Blue Room.
–Francesca Chambers
Including European leaders a ‘gamble’
The presence of European leaders at the August 18 White House meeting is “as much a referendum on the fragile partnership between the U.S. and its traditional allies in Europe as it is a turning point in the Russia-Ukraine war,” Michael Butler, a professor of international relations at Clark University, told USA TODAY.
Butler called Zelenskyy’s request to include European allies a “gamble.” The European leaders will not be part of the Ukrainian president’s initial Oval Office meeting.
He also said the inclusion of Vice President JD Vance could be “destabilizing.”
It was Vance who led the attacks on Zelenskyy at their last in person meeting in Februrary where Trump mocked the Ukrainian president’s clothes and Vance called him “disrespectful.”
–Sarah D. Wire
In a late-night Truth Social post, Trump put the onus on Zelenskyy to end Russia’s assault on his country and ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine. He also said the illegally annexed territory of Crimea would stay with Russia, returning to a position he staked out months ago.
“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight, Trump said in the Aug. 17 post. “…and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!”
The Ukrainian leader is scheduled to meet with Trump and his advisers in the Oval Office alone before an expanded meeting with European leaders.
Zelenskyy said in an X post as he arrived in Washington that a peace deal must be enduring. “Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East—part of Donbas—and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack.”
“I am confident that we will defend Ukraine, effectively guarantee security, and that our people will always be grateful to President Trump, everyone in America, and every partner and ally for their support and invaluable assistance. Russia must end this war, which it itself started,” he said.
–Francesca Chambers
‘I know exactly what I’m doing’: Trump flails critics ahead of Zelenskyy meeting
Ahead of his high-stakes meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump lashed out at his critics in multiple posts on his social media app Truth Social.
In one post, Trump complained that critics would never give him credit for ending the Russia-Ukraine war even if “Russia raised their hands and said, ‘We give up, we concede, we surrender.’”
In another post, the president took aim at the Wall Street Journal, seemingly over a recent column by the newspaper’s editorial board that was critical of Trump’s recent summit with Putin.
“I know exactly what I’m doing, and I don’t need the advice of people who have been working on all of these conflicts for years, and were never able to do a thing to stop them,” Trump wrote.
Trump also railed against mail-in voting and talked about crime in Washington D.C. in other Monday morning posts.
–Joey Garrison
Vance to join Trump for Zelenskyy meeting in Oval Office
Vice President Vance is set to attend the Aug. 18 Oval Office meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy, as well as a subsequent meeting with European leaders in the East Room, a source familiar with the vice president’s plans said.
Vance was central in turning a February Oval Office meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy into a clash when the vice president told Zelenskyy he was being “disrespectful” and remarked that Zelenskyy had not once thanked Trump for U.S. support.
Monday’s meeting, scheduled to begin at 1:15 p.m. ET, will mark the first time Zelenskyy has returned to the Oval Office since the memorable confrontation.
–Joey Garrison
Prime Minisher Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom has landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland ahead of Trump-Zelenskyy talks in Washington.
Starmer will be joined at the White House by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
The leaders try to move President Trump away from Vladimir Putin’s conditions for a Ukraine peace deal and increase security guarantees for Kyiv in a future agreement.
Trump opposes mail-in ballots, says Putin agrees
Trump said he would sign an executive order to abolish mail-in voting, a move he has said Russia’s President Vladimir Putin supported.
Trump has long railed against mail-in voting, an option which has favored Democrats in recent elections, as vulnerable to fraud. But election experts, including those in Trump’s previous administration, have said mail-in voting is accurate.
“THE MAIL-IN BALLOT HOAX, USING VOTING MACHINES THAT ARE A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER, MUST END, NOW!!!” Trump said on social media Aug. 18.
The post came after Trump told Sean Hannity on Fox News on Aug. 15 that Putin, “smart guy, said you can’t have an honest election with mail-in voting.”
–Bart Jansen
What time does Trump meet with Zelenskyy?
Trump and his team are scheduled to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his team initially, before a later meeting with a group of European leaders who assembled discuss how to deal with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
The European leaders are set to arrive at the White House at noon, an hour before Zelenskyy’s arrival. Trump and Zelenskyy will meet in the Oval Office at 1:15 p.m.
Trump will then greet a group of European leaders in the State Dining Room at 2:15 p.m. The group is expected to pose for a picture at 2:30 p.m. Trump will meet with all the European leaders at 3 p.m. in the East Room. -Bart Jansen
Will Zelenskyy show up at the White House in a suit?
For the duration of the war, Ukraine’s leader has chosen to wear a simple green T-shirt that’s become for many a symbol of his defiance. He’s largely stuck to that sartorial format in diplomatic corridors the world over.
“Why don’t you wear a suit? Do you own a suit? A lot of Americans have a problem with you not respecting the dignity of the office.”
That was one of the questions posed to Volodomyr Zelenskyy by a combative reporter the last time he was in the White House, in February. The visit descended into a heated exchange involving Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.
So: A suit this time? -Kim Hjelmgaard
Zelenskyy: Putin seeks to ‘humiliate diplomatic efforts’
President Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that could help shape the direction of Russia’s war is still hours away.
Ahead of that, Zelenskyy said that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was trying to “humiliate diplomatic efforts” after Moscow overnight launched dozens of drones and fired four missiles at Ukraine, killing at least 10 people.
“The Russian war machine continues to destroy lives despite everything,” Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post. “Putin will commit demonstrative killings to maintain pressure on Ukraine and Europe.” – Kim Hjelmgaard
Zelenskyy came to Washington alone last time he was in the U.S. capital. This time he’s bringing loads of backup.
French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte are also flying in.
They’ll arrive at the White House before Zelenskyy and wait in the wings until his meeting with Trump is finished,
The show of force from European leaders comes on the heels of a summit Trump held for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska that neither they nor Zelenskyy were invited to participate in.
Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin and touted the strength of their relationship after the Aug. 15 meeting.
He said “many points” were agreed on in the closed-door talks and advised Zelenskyy: “Make a deal.” – Francesca Chambers
Shortly after his Putin summit Trump said he’d host Zelenskyy at the White House on Aug. 18. Then the gathering quickly swelled to include major European leaders.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on the “Sunday Morning Futures” program on Fox News that Trump told Zelenskyy he could bring other heads of state with him.
“I also think the Europeans are very helpful being in the room sometimes and sort of giving ideas about what accommodations can be made and what flexibility the Ukrainian side could have,” Rubio said.
In all, Rubio said he expected six to seven hours of discussion, possibly more. – Francesca Chambers
A top administration official said over the weekend that the United States could join Europe in committing to protect Ukraine if it is attacked again as part of a deal to end the war.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff said Russia agreed to security guarantees that mimic the protections Ukraine would receive if it were allowed to join NATO.
“We got to an agreement that the United States and other European nations could effectively offer Article 5-like language to cover a security guarantee,” Witkoff said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Zelenskyy called it a “historic decision that the United States is ready to take part in security guarantees for Ukraine” and said they “must be developed with Europe’s participation.”
Russia has reneged on written agreements with Ukraine in the past, and that is why the country is seeking security commitments from America and its allies.
Rubio said on Fox News that such a promise “would be a huge concession” by Trump and he was still weighing his options.
“It would be a very big move by the President if he were to offer a U.S. commitment to a security guarantee,” Rubio said. “If he does it, it tells you how badly he wants peace.”
In addition to security guarantees, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said that Russia agreed to security guarantees for Ukraine that mimic the protections the country would receive if it were allowed to join NATO.
Putin also said Russia would pass legislation stating it will not go after additional territory in Ukraine or violate any European country’s sovereignty once a peace deal is codified.
The major outstanding issue is “some sort of land swap, which is obviously ultimately in the control of the Ukrainians,” the Trump envoy said.
Witkoff said the concession that Zelenskyy has steadfastly rejected would be on the agenda.